Katie Schmolke
Andover
Summary
Strategic Senior Human Resources and Operations Leader adept at fostering high-performing teams and driving organizational success. Expertise in compliance, employee relations, and talent development, implementing data-driven strategies that enhance workforce planning and operational efficiency, resulting in sustained improvements in hiring and engagement metrics.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Manager, People Operations
Sleep Number
Minneapolis
01.2023 - Current
- Operational Leadership & Strategic Workforce Planning: Led core retail and people operations—including HR services, compliance and pre-employment, workforce planning, and people analytics—while mentoring and developing a high-performing team through intentional coaching and strengths-based development; applied both short- and long-term strategic planning lenses to drive continuous improvement, cross-functional impact, measurable operational efficiency, and cost savings.
- Led development and execution of data-driven retail workforce planning strategies aligned to customer demand and operational goals, leveraging people analytics to identify productivity trends and performance gaps, providing insights to sales leaders and HR partners to inform business decisions.
- Compliance: Oversaw full employment and labor law compliance across federal, state, and local requirements, including wage and hour regulations, by leading audits and investigations, managing HR and Retail policy development, ensuring compliant pre-employment processes, identifying and mitigating labor risks through structured action plans, and serving as the primary liaison with legal counsel while building strong cross-functional partnerships to address and resolve compliance gaps.
- Led Team Member Services and Compliance team to provide timely, accurate support for policy guidance, in-store needs, benefits, payroll, and workplace inquiries; established service standards, SOPs, escalation paths, and SLAs; streamlined severance touchpoints and workflows for confidentiality and accuracy.
Sr. Manager, Human Resources Business Partner
Sleep Number
Minneapolis
12.2021 - 01.2023
- Strategic HR Leadership & Business Partnership: Provided end-to-end HR leadership in support of Services business priorities by partnering closely with senior leaders and HR and Legal Centers of Excellence to deliver strategic, compliant, and effective people solutions; oversaw core HR practices across talent strategy, organizational effectiveness, performance management, team member relations, compensation, engagement, retention, change management, and workforce planning; leveraged functional and technical expertise to develop, implement, and continuously improve HR strategies and processes while ensuring alignment of workforce capability, culture, and operational excellence with business goals.
- HR Leadership: Led, mentored, and developed a high-performing team of HR Business Partners by setting clear objectives, driving accountability to business and department goals, and fostering a collaborative, resilient culture focused on organizational success; served as the principal HR partner to senior leaders across Customer Service and Field Services, translating business strategy into people priorities through organizational design, change management, and data-driven insights to strengthen operational performance, talent readiness, and organizational capability.
- Team Leadership: Championed a culture of inclusivity, collaboration, and psychological safety by providing ongoing coaching, feedback, and professional development; set clear expectations and held individuals accountable for results while leading with integrity, resilience, and adaptability through ambiguity, driving innovation and continuous improvement, and ensuring compliance with organizational policies and management processes.
- Acted as a trusted advisor to business leaders by aligning HR strategies to business objectives, leveraging data and workforce metrics to inform decisions on productivity, organizational structure, and the team member experience, and collaborating with leaders to optimize organizational design and talent strategies—including succession planning and career development—to support agility and long-term success.
- Stewarded organizational culture by addressing escalated team member relations issues and providing leaders with effective, values-aligned solutions; upheld consistent application of policies and procedures to reduce legal risk, complaints, and turnover; utilized data, investigations, and team member surveys (engagement, pulse, exit, onboarding) to identify root causes and implement proactive retention strategies; directed compensation progression initiatives within Field Services—transitioning from retention bonuses to sustainable wage improvements—to enhance long-term retention of high-quality talent.
- Performance Management & Talent Development: Led the end-to-end performance management process by coaching managers and HR Business Partners on effective feedback, development, and training; implemented team and leader effectiveness tools to identify skill and behavior gaps and support targeted development plans; and partnered with business unit leaders and talent acquisition to assess current and future talent needs, ensure effective staffing levels, and build a consistent, high-quality talent pipeline through strong selection and onboarding practices.
- Partnered with leaders to identify and implement organizational and job design improvements that strengthen effectiveness and readiness for future growth, while leading change management strategies to ensure smooth transitions, minimize disruption, and drive successful adoption of new programs, structures, and ways of working.
- Oversaw HR Business Partner standard operating procedures to align with business objectives, company values, and legal requirements.
Senior Human Resources Business Partner
Sleep Number
Minneapolis
06.2019 - 12.2021
- Managed team of HR Business Partners, providing strategic support to senior leaders in Field Services and Customer Service departments to align HR initiatives with business goals.
- Talent Management: Developed, implemented, and led comprehensive talent programs spanning onboarding, performance management, employee development, career pathing, retention, and succession planning—leveraging tools and resources and partnering with business leaders to build strong organizational capability, culture, and a sustainable talent pipeline that drives exceptional performance and supports both current strategies and long-term growth.
- Talent Acquisition: Partnered with hiring managers and Talent Acquisition teams to assess current and future staffing needs, support effective use of selection and onboarding processes, and ensure a consistent, high-quality talent pipeline; drove continuous improvement by influencing long-term enhancements to hiring practices, including revamped interview guides, offer best practices, and turnover analysis to enable more proactive and effective hiring decisions.
- Employee Relations & Team Member Experience: Led employee relations efforts by addressing concerns, advising managers on consistent and values-aligned application of policies and procedures, and balancing advocacy for both employees and the business; conducted root cause analysis of team member relations issues to implement proactive strategies that reduced legal risk, complaints, and turnover; and served as a subject matter expert on federal and state employment regulations nationwide to ensure compliance and support a positive, productive work environment.
- Organizational Effectiveness & Change Leadership: Partnered with leaders and HR stakeholders to proactively design and implement job and organizational structure improvements that enhanced effectiveness and positioned the business for future growth; applied change leadership and team effectiveness principles to ensure successful adoption of new programs and structures; led workforce restructuring and furlough efforts during COVID-19 to support evolving business needs amid ambiguity; and onboarded VP-level leaders with a focus on trust-building, influence, and strategic alignment.
- Fostered positive and inclusive workplace culture by serving as steward of company mission and values; partnered with managers to address emerging workplace trends and led employee engagement initiatives—including surveys and action planning—to improve workplace satisfaction and drive organizational alignment.
- Collaborated with stakeholders across multiple leadership levels to develop tailored communication strategies, delivering clear and consistent messaging that enhanced engagement and alignment during complex organizational changes.
- Process Improvement: Identified, advocated for, and implemented HR best practices across the organization to simplify and eliminate non-value-added processes; partnered with business units to uncover and resolve efficiency opportunities; and served on the Workday adoption project team, influencing business process design, workflows, and driving effective field adoption.
Associate Human Resources Business Partner
Sleep Number
Minneapolis
03.2017 - 06.2019
- Partnered with Field Services leaders and HR leadership to strengthen talent capability, foster positive workplace culture, and align people strategies with business priorities.
- Identified and implemented HR best practices within Field Services to streamline non-value-added processes, enhancing efficiency and team effectiveness.
- Ensured adherence to employment regulations and industry standards while championing employee involvement in decision-making to enhance engagement and innovation.
Human Resources Business Partner Specialist
Sleep Number
Minneapolis
11.2014 - 03.2017
- Developed and maintained comprehensive reporting on key HR metrics to inform strategic decision-making on performance management, hiring, workforce demographics, retention, turnover, and engagement.
- Facilitated new leader effectiveness surveys and feedback sessions to support leader transitions and team integration.
- Managed responses to unemployment claims in compliance with company policies and legal requirements.
- Documented Standard Operating Procedures for the HR Business Partner team.
- Executed data entry processes, ensuring accuracy and integrity of HR information systems.
- Responded to requests for information; troubleshot issues and followed up on team member inquiries.
Customer Service Supervisor
Sleep Number
Minneapolis
04.2013 - 11.2014
Customer Service Representative/Case Manager
Sleep Number
Minneapolis
10.2011 - 04.2013
Education
Bachelor of Science - Business Management
Rasmussen College
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota09-2010
Skills
- Develops Talent
- Employee Relations
- Workday knowledge and experience
- Team leadership and accountability
- Action & Results Oriented
- Strategic mindset
- Business acumen
- Decision Quality
- Influencing skills
- Critical thinking
- Manages Complexity
- Microsoft Office expertise
- Nimble Learning
- Team leadership
- Influencing across all levels
- Advanced Microsoft Office experience
Professional Committee Activity
- Compliance Committee Chair
- Accommodation Committee
- President’s Circle Planning Committee (2019 and 2020)
- Covid-19 Crisis Committee
Timeline
Senior Manager, People Operations
Sleep Number
01.2023 - Current
Sr. Manager, Human Resources Business Partner
Sleep Number
12.2021 - 01.2023
Senior Human Resources Business Partner
Sleep Number
06.2019 - 12.2021
Associate Human Resources Business Partner
Sleep Number
03.2017 - 06.2019
Human Resources Business Partner Specialist
Sleep Number
11.2014 - 03.2017
Customer Service Supervisor
Sleep Number
04.2013 - 11.2014
Customer Service Representative/Case Manager
Sleep Number
10.2011 - 04.2013
Bachelor of Science - Business Management
Rasmussen College